This NaBloPoMo thing is not easy, even if I have been padding my posts with recipes. I have really let the housekeeping go in order to keep up with this blog. After spending several hours in my kitchen today, I realized I had forgotten just how nice and shiny it looks when it's clean. Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and the house needs to be spotless. I've got some serious catching up to do in order for that to happen.
Before my recipe du jour, a quote then a story:
"Cookies are love, the love of making them and the love of sharing them."
Growing up, my dad used to save the bulk of his vacation days for the last two weeks of the year. He spent the days leading up to Christmas cleaning the house until it passed the white glove test and baking hundreds of cookies. He was so organized in his efforts. He made chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal raisin, pinwheels, cutouts, mincemeat and several others. His cookies were perfectly formed, and as soon as they were cool he'd place them in Tupperware containers, label them and freeze them. Whenever we entertained, he'd carefully place an assortment of cookies on platters for our guests. Back in the day, my dad was like the male Martha Stewart. I suppose that's why I start to get a nesting instinct right after Halloween each year. I try to recreate that ambiance that dominated our home from Thanksgiving to Christmas each year.
Keeping the cookies out of the hands of four kids and their gang of friends isn't easy, so I try to keep some varieties on hand that are more popular with the adult crowd. Anything with nuts is generally less liked by kids, therefore more likely to last. That's why I love Wedding Cookies, they're little more than pecans and sugar, and the most delicious pastry with coffee.
Wedding Cookies
1 cup pecans
1 cup softened unsalted butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
- Place pecans in food processor. Process until finely ground, but not pasty.
- Beat butter and powdered sugar with electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl once. Gradually add one cup of flour, vanilla and salt. Beat at low speed until well blended. Scrape down sides of bowl, then add remaining flour and nuts.
- Form dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll pieces of dough into one inch balls, and place on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.
- Bake 12-15 minutes or until pale golden brown. Let cool on cookie sheets for two minutes.
- Place one cup of powdered sugar in a deep dish. Transfer the hot cookies to that dish.
- Roll cookies in the powdered sugar, coating well.
- Store tightly covered at room temperature or freeze up to one month.
